Description

The study of Nepali history presents itself as an intellectual enterprise that affords a range of expressions. Perhaps dominant among of them is the view that Nepal exists as a unique bounded stage on which its history has unfolded. This paper discusses the largely insular perspective that has informed the writing of Nepali history. It then proceeds to introduce the field of world history and broadly outline the focus of the work of world historians. It examines the possibilities of writing Nepali history in a world historical vein while drawing upon evidence from the Anglo-Gorkha frontier in the 18th and early 19th centuries to present a possible world history of the Anglo-Gorkha frontier.__________________________________________________________________

Bernardo Michael is an associate professor of history at Messiah College, Pennsylvania. Between 1987-1994 he taught at a school in far-western Nepal. In 2001, he completed his graduate work at the World Civilizations Program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His current research interests include statemaking, European colonialism, the history of cartography, ethnographic history, world history, historiography and historical methods with a focus on modern India and Nepal. At Messiah he was till recently Director of the Center for Public Humanities where he supervised the Center’s public humanities outreach programmes. He is currently Special Assistant to the President and Provost for Diversity Affairs where he coordinates institution wide efforts aiming at inclusion, equity, and excellence.